Effects of Community-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation on Body Composition and Physical Function in Individuals with Stable Coronary Artery Disease: 1.6-Year Followup

Objective. To examine long-term changes in physical function and body composition in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients participating in ongoing community-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Design. Thirty-four individuals (69.7 +/- 8.2 years; 79% men) participated in this longitudinal observational study. Baseline and follow-up assessments included incremental shuttle walk, short physical performance battery, handgrip strength, chair stands, body composition, last year physical activity, and CR attendance. Results. Participants attended 38.5 +/- 30.3% sessions during 1.6 +/- 0.2 year followup. A significant increase in 30-second chair stands (17.0 +/- 4.7 to 19.6 +/- 6.4, P < 0.001), body weight (75.8 +/- 11.1 to 77.2 +/- 12.1 kg, P = 0.001), and body fat (27.0 +/- 9.5 to 29.1 +/- 9.6%, P < 0.001) and a decline in handgrip strength (36.4 +/- 9.4 to 33.0 +/- 10.6 kg.f, P < 0.001) and muscle mass (40.8 +/- 5.6 to 39.3 +/- 5.8%, P < 0.001) were observed during followup. There was no significant change in shuttle walk duration. CR attendance was not correlated to observed changes. Conclusions. Elderly CAD patients participating in a maintenance CR program improve lower-body muscle strength but experience a decline in handgrip strength and unfavourable changes in body composition, irrespective of CR attendance.